


it's not what it looks like!

by loonyBibliophile



Series: i may be bad (but i'm perfectly good at it) [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty is with Jughead but he's not in this really, F/M, Gen, Kink Talk but no smut, archie is Pure and Dumb, mentions of BDSM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 06:00:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15042308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonyBibliophile/pseuds/loonyBibliophile
Summary: Betty leaned over and grabbed the step stool, carrying it over to one of the tall bookcases in the living room of her and Jughead’s shared apartment. Archie sees a flash of red, black, and blue, and panic rises in his throat, but he makes himself stay calm.AKA Archie finds out Betty likes it rough and has no idea how to process this information.Contains discussion of kink but no actual smut.





	it's not what it looks like!

Betty groans loudly when her phone rings at 7:30 in the morning on a Sunday. She gropes under her pillow for it, eyes still half closed. It was Archie’s name on the screen and she groaned again as she answered it. 

“What, Arch? It is pre- eight am on a Sunday, during finals season. Someone better be dying.” she mumbles, flipping onto her back. 

“I need to borrow a book.” 

“A book? You called me at 7:30 am on a weekend _during finals_ , to borrow a book?” 

“It’s for studying!” Archie pleads, and Betty rolls her eyes. 

“Fine. Get over here, so I can go back to bed. I have a strict study schedule to keep.” Betty slid her feet to the floor as she hung up. She sighed. There was no way she was actually going to get back to bed now that she’d been woken up. It was just how her brain worked. So she slipped her phone into the waistband of her underwear, and walked into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. 

Jughead’s room was open and empty, since he was sequestering himself in the 24/7 library on campus to write an essay, and claimed Betty was ‘too distracting’. Betty had rolled her eyes and filled his messenger bag with non-perishable snacks and told him to take naps. He’d texted her last night to tell her he was moving into the final stages and would be home later the next day with pizza to celebrate, and then she would proofread the essay for him. She smiled to herself. Maybe she’d do some shopping, have a nice surprise ready for him when he got home. 

She was leaning on the kitchen counter, mentally sorting through her closet for an appropriate outfit and waiting for the water to boil for coffee when someone knocked on her apartment door. She considered, for a moment, running into her room to put on a robe, or something, because she was just wearing a loose faded tshirt (Jughead’s. ‘This is my Halloween Costume’, but he’d never once worn it in October, let alone on Halloween), but decided Archie could survive seeing her legs. 

“Coming.” Betty called, wandering over and pulling her front door open. Archie was standing there, looking harried and exhausted. Betty waved him in. “What book do you need?”

“That big reference book, from the lit class you took like three semesters ago?” Archie scratches the back of his neck, and Betty rolls her eyes, sighing. 

“Let me get the step ladder, that’s on the top shelf.” 

“I could reach it—”

“You could, but Jug organized these shelves himself and told me if you ever touched them and messed up the order he would lock you in a closet with Cheryl’s theatre friends.”

Betty leaned over and grabbed the step stool, carrying it over to one of the tall bookcases in the living room of her and Jughead’s shared apartment. Archie sees a flash of red, black, and blue, and panic rises in his throat, but he makes himself stay calm. Keep an eye out. He was probably seeing things. He kept a subtle eye out as Betty climbed onto the step ladder. When she reached for the book, Archie saw his fear confirmed. 

The backs of Betty’s thighs were covered red welts and purple bruises. 

“Betty! What happened to you?” he cried out. Betty turned, book in hand, and looked at him, perplexed. 

“What do you mean?” She put the book on the coffee table and moved put the stool away. 

“Your legs! Were you in an accident? Did someone assault you? It’s not—” Archie drops his voice, looking around furtively “It’s not Jughead, is it?”

Betty stared at Archie for several moments of wide-eyed silence. The she bursts out laughing and puts a hand on Archie’s shoulder. 

“Arch, I’m so glad you’re you. Thank you for your concern. Though I am concerned that you think Juggie would ever do anything to me I didn’t want him to.” she pats his shoulder and goes back to moving the step stool. Archie blinks. 

“I don’t understand. If no one hurt you, Betty, why are you covered in bruises? And _welts_. Welts, Betty! You look like someone beat you!” 

Betty stares again, genuinely unsure of a number of things. First and foremost is how Archie Andrews, ex-boyfriend of Veronica Lodge and notorious ladies man, has lived nearly twenty two years of life without being aware, in any capacity, of BDSM. The second is if, and is so how, she was going to explain to Archie that the reason she looks like someone beat her with a leather strap is because someone _did_. Specifically, Jughead. Because she wanted him to. 

_How,_ Betty mused to herself, _does someone tell their childhood best friend that your shared childhood best friend ties you to the bed and spanks you?_

“Arch, do you really not know _anything_ about these things? Have you really gone all these years, gone on all those dates, dated Veronica of all people, and everything has just been totally vanilla?” Betty cocks her head, almost amused. 

“Vanilla?”

“Sex, Archie.” Betty says bluntly, just as her kettle begins to whistle. She walks over to it, ready to pour it into one of the coffee makers in the kitchen. There were several, as she and Jughead frequently disagreed on the best way to brew coffee. Today, she opted for the french press. 

“Are you telling me that Jughead did that to you, during sex?” 

“Yes, Arch. During one hundred percent consensual sex.” Betty pushes the handle of her french press down, and pulls a mug from a shelf. “Do you want some coffee?” She poured from the carafe into her mug of choice, big and powder blue with a gold magnifying glass embossed on it. It had been a birthday gift from Jughead. Archie said nothing, so Betty continued making her coffee, and eventually pulled out her phone, intending to text Veronica

_B: So, Archie is having a crisis in my living room because he found out I like it rough._  
_V: Oh god, what?_  
_B: He came running over to borrow a book, and I’m in my pajamas, so he saw the marks from Jug and I’s last scene on my legs and thought someone assaulted me._  
_V: Oh, Archibald. You naive and beautiful angel._  
_B: Ronnie, you two dated for over a year, and I know what you’re into, how is he this oblivious?_  
_V: I couldn’t taint him, Betty!! He’s too pure. If he found out his high school sweetheart liked to put people in handcuffs I think he might have a heart attack._  
_B: Well, thanks to your refusal to taint him, I now have to stand here, at eight in the morning, and explain to him that our mutual best friend, whom Archie has known since age four, bruised my butt and thighs with a switch!_  
_V: On the one hand, I’m sorry. On the other hand, this is the funniest thing that has ever happened._  
_B: He’s just standing here, V. He’s just standing, dead silent in my kitchen! I broke him!_

“So… this is… weird.” Archie says finally, breezing past Betty’s question about coffee. 

“It really is.” she sighed, shaking her head. “Look, Arch. Your concern is sweet. Thank you for being worried. Rest assured, I have these marks and bruises because I want to have them. I can explain in more detail, if you really want me to, but I don’t think you want your intro course to BDSM to involve your best friend since age four and the first girl you ever kissed.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m, uh, glad you guys are doing good, I guess? Thanks for the book.” Archie waved the book in the air, looking disoriented. Betty nodded, and tried to look reassuring. 

“Good luck with your finals.” she said as he opened her apartment door. Archie nodded. 

“Yeah, yeah. You too.” 

The moment Archie left, and she heard his heavy footfalls fade away, Betty collapsed onto the sofa and burst into hysterical laughter. She grabbed her phone, scrolling to find her message chain with Jughead. 

_Juggie, when you get home later, I have the best story about Archie to tell you_

**Author's Note:**

> i... don't know what this is, honestly. i had the idea for this and couldnt stop laughing. i may make this a series and write some actual smut because i have a lot of bughead bdsm feels. thanks to my bf for the beautiful title.


End file.
